How Do I Talk About Food Without Moralizing It?
If I don’t call foods “good or bad” what do I call them? This is a question that many people ask when they’re healing their relationship with food and exploring an intuitive eating philosophy.
In this short post, I’ll share some principles of my food philosophy and two tips for how to talk about food in a neutral way.
Food Philosophy Principles
Here are a few examples of some of the principles that comprise my general belief system about food:
1) I believe in calling foods by their proper names.
2) I do not use moralizing or judgmental language to talk about foods, serving sizes, food portions, or my overall eating pattern.
3) I do not judge or comment on the food choices of other human beings.
Part of my nutritional philosophy is making sure that I don’t put moralizing labels on my food choices or anyone else’s food choices. This is something I hope to role model for my clients and those I interact with.
How Do I Talk About Food Without Moralizing It?
If you're moving away from using labels like "good" or "bad" to describe food, it takes effort and practice to change the way you talk about food.
Tip #1- Calling foods by their proper names.
When you get stuck, call the food by its proper name (e.g., chocolate chip ice cream, yellow bell pepper). Proper names don’t confer a moral judgment.
Tip #2- Use food descriptors.
Another helpful tip is to get acquainted with descriptors of food. Here are some examples from different categories that can be used to describe food:
Taste or flavor: savory, sweet, buttery, sour, rich, bitter, smokey, tart, hot, tangy, zesty, pickled, nutty, cheesy
Texture: smooth, chewy, flaky, mushy, greasy, velvety, juicy, dry, gooey, toasted, crumbly, lumpy, sparkling
Aroma: smoky, grilled, roasted, citrusy, herby, fishy, briny, spicy, fruity, floral, yeasty, woody, earthy, burnt
Temperature: steamy, hot, tepid, cool, cold, icy, frozen
Appearance: beige, green, purple, yellow, vertical, flat, layered, folded, stacked, assortment, cubed, sliced, blended, on a plate, swirled
Sustaining capacity: heavy, hearty, rich, filling, satisfying, airy, light
Give it a try and see how this changes your perspective!
Photo by Anh Nguyen (@pwign) via Unsplash